


Mr Stark's Home For Wayward Youths

by 1Storywriter1



Category: Captain Marvel (Marvel Comics), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel, Spider-Man - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Foster Family, Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - No Powers, And brunette 'cause the image's in my head, Arguing, Bullying, Carol Danvers has Bipolar, Disability, Explicit Language, Family Drama, Family Dynamics, Family Fluff, He has OCD, In a sense, Kitty Pryde has Tourettes, Living Together, Mental Health Issues, Multi, Ned Leeds is a Good Bro, Normal Life, Parent Tony Stark, Peter Parker Has Issues, Scott is a Good Friend, Slow To Update, Swearing, Violence, just an fyi, shared living, sometimes, sorry :(, they're all in this together
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-31
Updated: 2020-04-03
Packaged: 2021-02-28 19:29:07
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 10,331
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23402254
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/1Storywriter1/pseuds/1Storywriter1
Summary: “Alright kiddies”, Tony said. “This is Matthew.” The others waved. Tony mugged at them. “He’s blind.”“Woops”, Peter said. “Sorry, dude. Let’s try again.” He then put on an exaggerated voice. “Hiya pal, my name’s Peter, and I welcome you to this fine establishment, Matt!”(A story where it's Tony, five kids, personal issues and family drama. What could go wrong?)
Relationships: Carol Danvers & Tony Stark, Carol Danvers/Simon Williams, Matt Murdock & Tony Stark, Michelle Jones & Ned Leeds & Peter Parker, Peter Parker & Scott Summers, Peter Parker & Tony Stark, Tony Stark & Scott Summers
Comments: 4
Kudos: 48





	1. Matthew & Tony

“-and that’s all the rules and regulations out of the way. You understood it all, Mr Stark?”

At being addressed, Tony sat up straighter, throwing a quick glance at the boy on the other side of the room before turning to the worker.

“Yes, ma’am”, he confirmed. “I understand how this all works.”

The woman smiled. “Then I believe Matthew is all yours now, Mr Stark. I hope you’ll care for him well.”

Tony chuckled as he stood up. “That’s the plan.” Once fully standing he looked over at the boy again, the kid looking slightly nervous. “You all ready to go, Matty?”

The kid looked in his general direction, picking up his cane. “Yes sir.”

Tony chuckled again. “Come on, kid, that’s way too formal. Tony’s fine.”

Matthew gave a nervous smile. “Oh. Okay si- Tony.” The man grinned, patting the boy on the back and nudging out an arm that was taken a hold of not long after. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome, kiddo.”

With that, Tony went on to guide Matthew out of the building, and helped him get into the car when they got there. He could tell the kid was trying to be as little bother as necessary, and Tony used his own silent orders to help him out anyways.

As they started driving away, Tony cast a glance into the backseat, seeing the small bag that belonged to Matthew. Seemed first order of business was to go out shopping with him. He’d have to get the kid settled first though, and knowing who he lived with, Tony guessed that would take a day or two.

“So. Matt”, Tony started a while in to their driving. “This your first foster home?”

Matthew was quick to answer. “Yes.”

Tony hummed. “Neat. Hopefully I’ll stick for you. I got switched around a lot when I was younger. It sucked.”

Matthew fidgeted around at that, surprised. “You were a foster kid?”

“Technically _am_ ”, Tony remarked. “But since I’m an adult- yeah, I _was_ a foster kid. It was only for about a year and a half but still. Foster kid sitting next to you.”

“Huh”. There was silence after that for a while, until Matthew’s brain decided to pursue more information. “Hey Tony... what are you like?”

Tony glanced at the kid before looking back at the road. “Personality wise or carer wise?”

Matt shrugged. “Both?”

The man sighed. “Well, to be honest Matty, personality wise it depends I guess. I’d like to think I’m a good- or decent at least- guy, but you might think I’m a asshole down the road. Carer wise, well... we’ve got company at home, so I can say I’m pretty good.”

“There’s more people?” Matthew asked, a little nervous. Tony seemed okay to him, but he couldn’t say the same for everyone he met, and lots of people were usually overwhelming for him.

Luckily Tony seemed to at least pick up these thoughts. “Hey, it’s okay kid. I don’t run some kind of society or something. Just a few other foster kids, like you. Us, I guess. But they’re good kids. You’ll like ‘em I think. What’s your opinion on science...”

As Tony went on, getting carried away with that talk, Matthew took a moment to think himself. He’d lived with kids at the orphanage obviously, but they would usually come and go. So living in a permanent residency might take some getting used to. That was okay though, as long as they were nice, Matthew figured.

“...but yeah. You should like them, Matty. Probably. Maybe. Hopefully”, Tony muttered, finished with his talking for the moment. But the boy had one more question.

“Uh, sir- oh, I-I mean Tony, what are the others names?”

Tony was quiet for a moment, until he let out a small laugh. “That is a really good question, Matty. I probably should’a led with that, huh? Alright, so it’s another four, just for the specifics. We’ve got Scott, he’s the oldest out of the kids I care for, then there’s Peter- you’ll get along well with him, I bet- and uh there’s Carol as well. She’s been having a rough time lately, so just be a little understanding, okay? And finally of course, there’s Kitty. She’s around your age, kiddo. And she gets excited easily, so just be prepared for that. It can be overwhelming at times.”

Matthew let out a sound at the information. He wasn’t particularly against anything, he just knew there’d be a large adjustment for him. But that’s inevitable, isn’t it?

“Anyways”, Tony piped up after a while. “We’re almost there, buddy. You ready?”

Matthew gave a nod. He didn’t know if the older man saw it. “I’m ready, Tony.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed this first chapter. I'm working on the second now, so be on the lookout!  
> And of course, leave a comment or something, I always love hearing what you guys think- negative or positive.  
> Until next time :)


	2. Meeting The Family

So Matthew was definitely overwhelmed.

The moment both he and Tony stepped through the door- adult first of course- they were met with a number of crashing and clanging sounds. Matthew also heard Tony make a weird noise.

“FUCK OFF, SCOTT!” Matthew heard someone scream, definitely female. Tony sighed behind him.

“Sorry about this, Matty. Sometimes the kids- they just get a little carried away. Give me a sec.” Tony had gone up the steps after that. 

Up the stairs and down the hall, Tony found three out of four of his kids hovering around one door, Scott, the oldest one, banging on it. The other two, Kitty and Peter, their faces were flashing about seven different expressions per second.

“Carol, open the door”, Scott yelled, still banging on the object. There was another crash inside the room, and the banging turned into full-on slamming on the door. “I said _open_ , Carol!”

“And I said _f_ _uck off_ , Scott!” Carol screamed back. 

As Scott went to further the argument, Peter pushed him out of the way, lightly tapping at the door. “Carol, it’s me. It’s Peter. Can you open up, please? I’m getting worried here.”

“Of course you are”, Scott muttered with a scoff, crossing his arms. Peter scowled at him.

“Shut the fuck up, Scott”, he snapped back. Scott sighed, but put his hands up and moved back a few steps. Peter tapped again. “Carol? Can you open up please? I promise Scott won’t come in.”

There was silence for a few beats, until finally a quiet tap could be heard on the other side. “You really promise?”

“I do”, Peter answered. He shot a look at Scott after, and the oldest boy walked away. As he did so he walked into Tony, a ‘busted’ look on his face.

“What’s goin’ on?” Tony asked. Scott sighed.

“Carol’s having a moment”, he answered with a sigh. “It’s my fault. I’m sorry.”

Tony shrugged, letting out a light sigh. “It’s alright, Scott. Just… don’t do whatever you did again. And probably apologise to Carol.”

Scott just nodded, deciding against speaking again. Meanwhile, back with the others, the door slightly cracked open, Peter craning his neck to look through the skinny slit. He didn’t see Carol. “Can I come in?”

“Just you”, came Carol’s reply. “Sorry Kitty.”

The younger girl sagged. “Okay. Bye Petey, bye Carol.”

Peter gave an awkward wave as she walked over to the other two. Upon seeing Tony, he gave a strained smile, putting up one finger. _Just a second_. He then opened up the door a little more, sliding into the room then closing the door, just before he was told to do that.

“Hi Carol”, he lamely greeted, going to stand next to where she was sitting on the bed. “Can I sit?” She just nodded, so he did. The moment he was comfortable, he slowly wrapped his arms around Carol, and she let her head fall onto his shoulder. Peter felt her trembling sobs. “Just let it out”, he whispered, rubbing a hand on her back.

When the crying stopped, Carol looked up at Peter, her eyes red from the tears. “Scott’s an asshole”, she weakly stated. Peter let out a light chuckle, not stopping his soothing gestures.

“Sometimes”, he admitted. “But you know he gets confused too sometimes. Scott just doesn’t understand sometimes, just like how Kitty doesn’t sometimes, or even I don’t sometimes. I’m sorry.”

Carol squeezed his free hand. “Don’t apologise for nothing, ya pussy”, she said, her voice not hostile at all. Peter laughed. After a moment, she sighed. “Oh well. Could’ve gone worse. I don’t wanna speak to Scott though. Can you tell him I’m sorry for being a bitch, Peter? And don’t forget to tell him he’s still a prick though.”

Peter snorted. “Of course, master.” He hugged Carol one more time before standing up. “Should we get outta here? Tony picked up the new kid today, remember? Or did you forget?”

“I didn’t”, Carol answered, rubbing the excess wetness of her eyes. She followed Peter out of the room and down the hallway where mostly everyone else was waiting. “Hey Tony.”

“Carol. Peter”, Tony greeted, putting a hand up while he did. “You’re alright?” Carol simply gave a nod. “Then you guys can go meet Matty now. Sound good?” The kids murmured their agreements. “Let’s go then.” 

The five of them moved down the stairs, instantly spotting the awkwardly standing Matthew Murdock, who was still waiting at the door. He turned his head mostly in their direction when he heard all their footsteps approaching. He tried a smile. Tony stepped out in front, putting a comforting hand on the boy’s shoulder, grounding him back down.

“Alright kiddies”, Tony said. “This is Matthew.” The others waved. Tony mugged at them. “He’s blind.”

“Woops”, Peter said. “Sorry, dude. Let’s try again.” He then put on an exaggerated voice. “Hiya pal, my name’s Peter, and I welcome you to this fine establishment, Matt!” He then dropped the voice for a second. “I can call you Matt right?” A nod. “Awesome. Nice to meet you, Matt.”

After that, Scott stepped forward, giving Matthew a light nudge on the shoulder. “Hey. That nudge just then was from Scott. Nice to meet you, Matthew.”

“You too”, Matthew replied, trying to be polite. Scott smiled, even if it wasn’t seen. Next, Kitty moved up, straight up hugging the new kid as strongly as she could.

“Hi! I’m Kitty! Nice to meet you, Matty! Hi!” Kitty excitedly squawked. When Matthew started looking nervous at all the physical contact, Tony lightly pulled her away. She quietly started murmuring. “Oh, sorry Matty. Sorry. Hi again.”

Lastly, Carol just went with an unseen wave. “My name’s Carol, Matthew. I’m sure we’ll get along if you’re not a dick.”

Tony just sighed, going on to use his ‘authority voice’. “Come on, Carol. Be nice.”

The girl sighed, moving closer and lightly shaking the limp hand at Matthew’s side. “Hello. Is that better, Tony?”

The man just sighed again. “Good enough, kiddo.” With all the introductions out of the way, Tony went back to putting a grin on his face, setting his hands on Kitty’s shoulder, the girl letting out a giggle at the action. “Well would you look at the time, kiddies, it’s basically dinner! Who’s hungry?”

Kitty excitedly raised her hand, basically vibrating on the spot. “Me! I am. Way more than anyone else. Sorry Matty.”

Matthew shrugged. “It’s… okay?”

Kitty cheered, pumping her fist in the air. “Yes! I’m the best. Ooh, can I help, Tony?”

“Sure can”, Tony enthusiastically replied. “Always need my apprentice in those situations.” Kitty giggled again, following after the adult. Before they left though, Tony turned back to Matthew. “Hey Matty, dinner’ll probably be another twenty- thirty minutes maybe. Just put your stuff down anywhere and I’ll help you out later. Just talk to the others or whatever while you wait. Up to you, bud.”

Matthew smiled at the genuine kindness. “Okay, I’ll try and do that. Thank you, Tony.”

“You’re welcome bud”, Tony threw over his shoulder. “Welcome to the family!”


	3. A Lovely Dinner

“DINNER’S READY!”

At that call, Matthew popped his head up from where he was sitting. He grabbed his cane and stood up and found- rather surprisingly- his arm taken in a light hold.

“I’ll show you where we eat”, Scott told him. “Just this once ‘cause... you know.”

Matthew shook his head. “Thanks, Scott. And you can just say it’s because I’m blind; it’s okay.” The boy let out a small chuckle. “I’d probably need the help even if I could see.”

Hearing that Scott let out a small laugh of his own before guiding Matthew along. While they walked he asked a question. “Hey Matt, I don’t really know a polite way to ask so sorry in advance, but how do you figure out where to walk and all that?”

Matthew shrugged. “I don’t know really. I guess after walking around the areas for a while all the spots just get impacted in my head, you know? I just _know_ after a while.”

“That makes sense. I think”, Scott said. Now in the household’s small dining room, he pulled the chair out and lightly urged the other boy near it.

“Chairs just next to you.”

“Thanks.”

“You’re welcome.”

Once he was sure Matthew was certain in his seating, Scott took a seat of his own, next to Kitty. She grinned at him widely, and he couldn’t help but notice the rapid tapping of her foot against the floor. Peter kept adjusting his cutlery’s position, never seeming to be quite right with it. Carol just stared at nothing in particular, running a hand through her loose hair.

Finally Tony came out of the kitchen, a large bowl balancing in one hand and another in the other one. Once he’d put them down on the table, the adult turned to the kids with a satisfied grin, hands on his hips. “Voila! Dinner is served thanks to yours truly and the ever wonderful second in command. Dig in kiddies!”

They didn’t need any more urging, all of them spooning or grabbing the food and putting it on their plates and then getting down to eating it. Tony couldn’t help but hear Peter’s quiet groan at picking up his utensils after seemingly getting them in just the right position.

A few minutes after Tony had sat down and started eating himself, the man decided to try and start some conversation. “ _Sooo_... how was everyone’s day?”

Kitty was first to answer. “It was like, so awesome and great, Tony. It was awesome.”

“What about you, Pete?”

He shrugged, briefly glancing over at Carol. “It was alright. There was a small rough patch but got through it in the end. I guess it was nice in the end.”

Tony gave a smile to the boy. “That’s great, Pete. How about you, Carol? Was it good, or are you just gonna give me one of your ‘edgy’ answers again?”

Carol scoffed at the slight dig, but gave a small smile. She’d caught Peter’s earlier glance across the table. “Well... it was good in the end. All thanks to a certain someone.”

Tony gave a positive hum while Peter pointed his grin at the table. “Who’s the ‘certain someone’, young lady? Can’t leave a hanger like that!”

The girl gave Tony a look. “Don’t call me young lady ever again. And I’ll leave it to you to decide who it was.”

Raising his hands in defeat, Tony let out a small chuckle. “Well okay then, mystery holder. Two to go, how was today, Scott and Matty?”

The two thought about it for a moment. Matthew answered first. “I think today was actually pretty good. You guys were all really nice to me. Not everyone is that way.”

Before Tony could reply to that, Scott beat him to it. “Well you’re a part of our little patchwork family now, Matt. We’re in this together. Count on us whenever you need it.”

As Matthew smiled at those words, Tony directed an extremely proud look over at Scott. “Couldn’t have said it better myself. Good job, Scotty. But how were you?”

Scott shrugged. “It could’ve been better, but it’s my own fault.” He took a breath and looked over at Carol. “I just want to say sorry about this afternoon, Carol. I was being an asshat and should’ve just left you alone.”

Carol gave him a hard look. “You’re... I will temporarily forgive you, douchebag.” Scott chuckled at the name; he knew in her weird way that was Carol’s way of endearment. “And I guess I apologise too. For- you know- swearing at you and stuff. And sulking in your room.”

Tony couldn’t help the warm feelings in his chest at hearing all that, and gave a light, quick and affectionate rub on Scott and Carol’s closest arm, giving them both an approving look. “I’m glad to hear all this. But there’s just one thing we forgot.”

“Really? What the f-frig did we forget?!” Kitty gasped, stuttering a little. Seeing that reaction, Tony barked out a bit of a laugh before he could stop himself.

“Don’t worry apprentice”, he stated. “I was just going to say no one asked how _my_ day was.”

“Oh.” Kitty puffed, before going back to her usual demeanour. “Well how was your day, good sir?”

Tony sniffed at the question a little, humoured, before answering. “Well I gotta say after hearing everything I just have, I’ve got to say I had probably the best day out of all of us. You guys don’t know how proud I am to see you be mature enough to admit mistakes and be honest. And I of course can’t forget about Matty joining our ranks today. And I hope you’re okay with me coming right out and saying it so early, kid, but I’m gonna end up loving you, just like I do these kids. Glad to have you with us.”

Matthew absolutely beamed at those words, and didn’t think the grin was going to go away any time soon. “Tha-thanks for taking me in though, Tony. I’m really grateful. It’ll be nice to have people on my side now.”

“Best believe it”, Tony stated, before getting up. “Alright everyone, up! We’re bringing it in. My old people-ness has made me mushy.”

There were no arguments there, Scott, Kitty, Peter and Carol getting up straight away to come over and swamp Tony in a group hug. After a little bit of encouragement they even got Matthew in there- even if he didn’t resist too hard. When everyone finally pulled apart, Tony gave a light clap of his hands. 

“Alright kids, figure out who’s clearing the table tonight then get to bed soon. School tomorrow, and I’m too tired right now to micromanage you all. See you in the morning.”

“Night, Tony”, Peter called out as Tony trudged up the stairs.

“Night Tony”, Kitty echoed, getting a smile off the adult.

After a bit of talking among the kids, they cleared the table then finished off any late night activities they had. While the other three went onto autopilot, Scott showed Matthew up the stairs and got him to where he’d sleep. For the moment, he explained, Matthew would be sharing the room with Scott until Tony could work something out.

Once he was finally situated and Scott had muttered a ‘goodnight’, Matthew closed his eyes, inviting the sleep to overtake. All in all though, he was more than certain he could get used to this...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that ends chapter three!  
> As I said last time, I appreciate comments a lot, I'd love to hear suggestions. And while I'm at it I'll ask you guys: are there any characters or pairings YOU want to see show up in this story? If it's reasonable, there's a pretty high chance I'd put what you wanted in.  
> Anyways, until next time, see ya! :D


	4. Early Risers

Apparently, waking up at 2am got you free, nicely-made toast in this household. 

Thanks to a sudden appearance of nightmares in Matthew’s head that night, he had woken up much earlier than he usually did. Upon hearing Scott’s snoring, he was able to assume it was earlier than what would be appreciated. For the next few minutes he tried to go back to sleep, but it didn’t seem that would be happening this time.

Letting out a sigh, Matthew propped himself up and sat up on the bed, pondering what to do next. He decided to just wander around for a while. It would help him navigate around the house easier as well which was always a positive. So setting his mind to do this, he got up, grabbed his cane and decided to walk along.

It wasn’t for a long while, but Matthew simply walked around the second floor of the house first, getting a lay of the land. It was a pretty standard area, and after five minutes he realised he pretty much knew where everything was now.

After that he went to go down the stairs; carefully, just in case. Descending down them, he made it to the first floor. Luckily that was where he’d spent most of his day beforehand, so he already had a general idea of where everything was. Halfway through his wandering though, he heard a sound. Buzzing.

Matthew spent a tiny moment pondering what it was before deciding to try and follow it. Doing that he almost instantly realised it was a fridge that had been the output. He let a frown cross his face. That had been anticlimactic. And then he’d heard a small pop, and a cough to go along with it. 

“Hey Matt”, a voice said. Peter, Matthew was quick to figure out. “Didn’t know you’d be up so early.”

Matthew shrugged. “I can thank nightmares for that.”

Peter hummed. “Dang. That sucks.”

“Tell me about it.”

They shared a brief laugh after that, before transitioning into a comfortable silence. After a few minutes of just standing around and doing what he had been in the kitchen to do, Peter turned around back to Matthew, clearing his throat.

“You want some toast, Matt?” Peter asked after a moment. “I put a bunch of bread in- if you want any.”

Matthew gave a smile. “Uh... sure. Thanks Peter.”

The other boy gave an unseen grin. “You’re welcome, man.”

A few minutes later and the food was ready, Peter grabbing out two plates. He put the toast on it before glancing over at Matthew again. “What do you want on it? Somethin’? Nothin’?”

“Whatever you’re having”, Matthew supplied honestly. He was truly fine with whatever. Plus he didn’t want to be overbearing, even if he knew asking would be the opposite. Taking that answer Peter just put some of the same stuff on all the pieces, ending up deciding on peanut butter. Once it was all spread up, he picked up one of the plans, giving a little nudge and handing it over. “Thanks, Pete.”

“Yeah.” As Matthew figured out what was on it, Peter thought to himself for a moment before speaking up. “Hey Matt, If you want you can hang out with me for a while. I’m not gonna be able to fall back to sleep, and around here everyone is an early riser anyways. _Way_ early.”

Matthew gave a curious look. “Is that so?”

“Sure is”, Peter responded. “I can never sleep too well on most nights- thanks for that, my weird-ass OCD- and Carol’s a bit of an insomniac you’ll find. Kitty worries herself up every once in a while, or doesn’t wear off her energy and doesn’t sleep at all, too. Tony and Scott are pretty decent though. But every once in a while they get up early or don’t sleep. It’s weird. How’s your sleeping usually, Matt?”

The boy shrugged. “Most of the time I have a regular sleeping pattern. I guess it just depends.”

Peter made a thoughtful sound. “I’m guessing you’re early to rise today because it’s your first night here then. It’ll get better, I’m sure.”

“Hopefully”, Matthew remarked. Once his toast was finished, he looked up again. “Have you eaten yours, Pete?”

Peter shrugged. “Eh, I’ll have it soon. How was yours though?”

“Pretty good.”

“That’s ‘cause I’m a secret chef”, Peter joked, exaggerating his voice as he said that. It got a laugh from Matthew.

“Anyways, no offense Peter, but I’m just going to try and fall back to sleep”, Matthew stated after. Peter just sighed, but it didn’t carry any negative meaning.

“That’s cool, man. See you in the morning- or, later in the morning I guess”, Peter said, following up the stairs with his plate in hand. Once Matthew was back in his shared room, Peter leant against the wall a moment before walking down the hallway, knocking on the door at the very end. He opened the door after, a grin on his face.

He was greeted by Carol scoffing at him, mostly in jest. “Took you long enough”, she said. Peter chuckled.

“Hey, I was speaking with Matt, okay? It was nice.”

“Nicer than me?” Carol asked innocently. Peter stammered, trying not to blush as he looked down at the plate. Carol laughed a little. “Dude, I’m kidding.”

Peter let out a breath. “Yeah, of course you are.” He then held out the plate. “I got toast.”

Carol looked at the food for a beat before shrugging. “I don’t feel like toast.”

Peter exaggerated a gasp. “ _Whaaat_? You mean I went to all that effort for nothing?”

A grin crossed Carol’s face for a moment. “I felt like it earlier, but you took too long, minion. Too busy gossiping or whatever you do with Matt.”

Peter grinned as well, but stopped himself from laughing. “Well _sorry_ , master. I’ll make sure not to speak to people in the future.” Carol flashed a victorious grin as Peter slid down next to her. She pushed her head onto his shoulder. “There’s like- five hours until we need to get ready for school. Any ideas to pass the time?”

Carol just let out a deep exhale. “I dunno. Maybe I could try to sleep.”

“Have fun, insomniac”, Peter joked. “I guess I’m just the headrest.”

“Damn right, minion. Why don’t you try as well?”

“I just don’t see the point”, Peter admitted. “I’d probably wake up again in an hour or so anyways. Damn OCD.”

Carol frowned as she closed her eyes. “I’m pretty sure it doesn’t work like that, does it?”

Peter scoffed. “I’ve just got a weird fuckin’ case of it. _Obviously_.”

“Obviously”, Carol echoed. Around ten minutes later- and to Peter’s slight surprise- the girl had successfully fallen to sleep, cozying up on his shoulder, halfway to toppling herself over him. Peter quietly chuckled, moving the blanket so it was over Carol then moving her around slightly, helping so she wouldn’t wake with a cramp. Once Peter was sure she was good, he made himself a little more comfortable, lightly rubbing Carol’s back with the hand he’d wrapped around her. 

Peter looked up at the roof for a moment, a tranquil smile on his face. “This... this is nice”, he mused, glancing down at Carol for a second, then looking over to the desk on the other side of the room. He made a sad sigh. “Too bad I didn’t eat my toast though.”


	5. Peter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, here's chapter five!  
> It's long, fyi, I got a little carried away with it all.  
> Enjoy :D

“ _PETER_!”

Peter jumped at the yell, was pretty sure he let out a yelp of his own, and his face definitely turned bright pink before he was shoved out of the bathroom. He was quick to regain his senses.

“Oh _shit_! Carol I’m-I’m sorry about that!” Peter stammered, only _now_ slapping his hands over his eyes, too late after he should’ve. Not that he _knew_ he’d walk in to Carol just getting out of the shower. “I didn’t know you were in there.”

“Sure you didn’t. Fucking pervert”, Carol spat from behind the door. Unknown to the girl, Peter’s face fell, a look of embarrassment and guilt over the accident.

“Sorry”, he lamely said before walking away, mindless walking around for the next few minutes. “Guess I’ll brush my teeth later.” Going down the stairs as he waited, he walked past everyone else, peeking over their shoulders, being a general nuisance. It was after circling Scott for the third time he got called out.

“What’s up, Pete”, he asked slightly irritated, making it a point to express with a scowl. Peter shrunk under the look a little. Scott chalked the reaction up to him being the old, scary, seventeen-year-old - not that he disliked this fact about himself.

“It’s nothing, man”, Peter replied, trying to keep cool. “I was just trying to get a good angle to look around at... or something?”

Scott just crossed his arms. He knew the younger male was avoiding. “ _Peter_.”

He groaned, giving in, throwing his hands in the air. “Ugh, I’ll tell you! I just walked into the bathroom at a bad time, alright. I went to brush my teeth and... yeah.” Peter arms flailed at his sides a little, not quite sure what to do with them. Scott just raised an eyebrow at the answer. 

“And I’m guessing you saw a certain- well, some _things_ you weren’t supposed to?” Scott grinned as Peter panicked a little, avoiding the older ones’ gaze.

“Close enough! It was a close call. That’s what happened”, Peter hissed in a shushing way. “Now can we stop talking about it?”

“Sure”, Scott said, walking away. “And we’ve still got thirty minutes until we leave Pete, so just calm down a little.”

Peter made a face as he watched Scott walk away a few steps, making a face. The older boy knew he had a routine he very much liked to keep in line with when it came to the school morning routine. Eight o’clock was always the time he went and brushed his teeth. But that was obviously not going to happen today.

Peter sighed. He went to sit with Matthew while he waited for Carol to finish upstairs. “What’s up Matt? You getting ready?”

Matthew shook his head. “No. Tony said I don’t have school for the next few days. We’ve still got to figure out what I have to do for my learning now- being blind and all, y’know?”

Peter wore a thoughtful expression before slumping his body a little. “That makes a lot of sense. You’d have to do that braille stuff, right?”

“Yep”, Matthew agreed. “Maybe Tony can get an impairment package or something. But then again, I don’t know if that’s an actual thing. Just my guess.” Peter hummed. “Anyways”, Matthew continued. “I wanted to ask you something, Peter. What’s it like at your school? Do you and the others go to the same school?”

Peter weighed that question in his head for a moment before answering. “Well... kinda. Yeah, we all go to the same school, but not exactly the same parts. Scott’s in his last year, so he’s obviously in different classes, but he also does a lot of the physical curriculum, so he spends a lot of time out of a classroom. And Kitty goes to a special class- which is dumb since she’s mega smart, you know?- but that because of her Tourettes. Carol and I are basically in the same classes though which is nice, but she mostly hangs out with _Simon_ and his _friends_.”

Matthew gave a concerned look hearing the end of that explanation, easily hearing his friend’s disdain for the person mentioned. “Who’s Simon?”

Peter groaned, and Matthew could actually picture the unhappy look on Peter’s face. “A dick. Go ask Carol about him if you really want to know that badly.”

The concerned expression didn’t leave Matthew’s face as Peter left, but he decided against pushing any more. As Peter was about to restart his wandering around, he saw Carol come down the stairs, throwing a glare his way. He offered an awkward smile, and an even more awkward shrug. When he heard the girl make an angry noise, he took that as his cue to leave. He quickly made his way up the stairs, snatching his toothbrush from his room on the way and then stepping into the bathroom to finish what he had wanted to do almost ten minutes before.

Once that and a few other small things were done, and just under fifteen minutes until school started, Tony came bundling through the house’s front door, an excited grin on his face. “Alright. Everyone ready to go? Excep-except Matty of course- for now.”

He got positives in reply, and then the four other kids, excluding Matthew were loading into the car, Tony starting to drive not long after.

**...**

As Peter made his way through the school slightly earlier than expected- only by just a few sweet minutes- he heard the initial bell ring out. A victorious look crossed his face as he walked just a little longer and into his first class. Being Thursday, he had Chemistry first, which he was much more than happy to attend to compared to only a small number of other classes. As Peter took his seat in the room he was met with a whole-heartedly welcome figure.

“Hey Peter”, Ned Leeds, one of Peter’s closest friends greeted, offering a high five. Of course Peter slapped the offered hand in greeting back. “What’s going on, man?”

“Not a lot dude”, Peter informed as the teacher was still fumbling to set up at the front. It seemed they had a substitute today. “Actually there sorta is. You know how I told you about the new kid coming soon?”

“Matt or whatever?” Ned asked. Peter flipped a thumbs up. 

“Yeah. Matt, Matthew- I don’t think he minds what he’s called. But he came in yesterday. He’s actually pretty cool, man; I think you’d like him.”

Ned chuckled a little. “You sure that’s not the Peter-brand optimism talking? Remember when I first met Kitty?”

Peter quietly laughed. At least since he and Ned were at the back of the class there was a little more leeway when it came to chatter. “Man, that was pretty horrendous. But you get along now.”

Ned gave a light shrug, even though he was certain he got along with the younger girl now. “She’s one scary eleven-year-old.”

“Wait until she’s a teen then”, Peter quipped, just as the teacher started talking. “We’ll pick this back up in a minute, man.”

Ned gave a nod, focusing on the teacher for the moment. While their conversation had been stalled, the two boys made sure to take notes and actually listen to the teacher. Just because they were a sub, it didn’t mean the teacher was clueless. After about another ten minutes, the teacher having handed out some worksheets, Peter gave his friend a light nudge.

“Dude, is it me or is this substitute teacher’s handwriting _really_ lopsided?”

Hearing that Ned looked up in alarm, knowing what Peter was about to do. “Peter, just focus on the work”, he close to hissed. “ _Do not_ focus on the board’s writing. It will only bring pain.”

Peter whined. “But look dude! It’s sloping! It’s ugly as _fuck_. Oh, I’m about to freak.”

Ned started patting his friend’s arm soothingly. “Dude, look down, at the work and think about that instead. Your OCD does not care about handwriting anymore, alright?”

Peter extended his arms across the table. “Ned, you know it does.”

“If I say it doesn’t, it doesn’t ”, Ned said firmly. As Peter forced himself to look down at the work, not looking up at all- even if he kept rapidly tapping his pencil against the table in defeat- Ned let out a sigh of relief. For as long as he’s known Peter, his friend’s condition has always brought annoyance or straight up panic, usually at the worst of times. While Ned wasn’t an expert on OCD, he’d done a little research, and always tried to help or distract Peter whenever it started to get to him. This seemed to be one of those times. Luckily his tactics usually worked.

Eventually, Peter nudged Ned’s arm, sliding his paper across the table. He looked at his friend expectantly. “You finished dude?” A nod. “Cool. You think you can take this up for me?” Ned gave another nod. “Thanks man. Means a lot.”

Ned just gave a smile as he got up and took the worksheets to the front, the teacher thanking him after. Almost immediately after the boy had done that, the bell has rung to signify the end of the period, and Peter had made sure he was one of the first out, also grabbing Ned’s bag for him.

As they left the classroom, Peter let out a sigh. “Thank God that’s over. And thanks for being a solid guide there, Ned. Means a lot to me.”

Ned chuckled, giving his friend a light-hearted shoulder punch. “Any time, Peter. You know I’m here for you.”

Peter smirked, perking up a little at the kindness. “Thanks. And you know I’d do the same for- oh fuck.”

Ned frowned at the swear, turning his head. “What? What’s wrong?” Peter just motioned ahead, an annoyed look on his face. Ned saw who he was pointing at. “Ah. Frick indeed.”

As they kept walking, Peter tried to make himself not as noticeable, walking a bit faster with his head down. That tactic didn’t work though, a rough hand grabbing his arm and yanking him back before he could fully pass. He swore in his head as he looked face to face with his- and a lot of others’- bullies.

“Simon”, he sighed. The older boy gave a hostile grin at the greeting.

“Hey Peter, how you doing, _bud_?” Simon Williams asked with no sincerity at all. He held Peter’s arm tighter, drawing a small wince from him. “Ooh, did that hurt?”

“Come on, leave him alone”, Ned stuck in, trying to defend his friend.

Simon squinted at the boy. “Was I speaking to you, fatty”, he sneered while Peter made a disengage motion towards his friend. Ned sighed, knowing he was about to reluctantly go along with Peter’s plan. “ _Piss off_.”

Ned sighed, putting up hands in defence. “...fine. Sorry, I guess.”

“Yeah you are”, the bully sneered as Ned walked away, glancing at Peter who just shrugged his free shoulder. Once he was mostly out of sight, Simon turned back to Peter. “I’ve got some things to talk with you about, _Pete_.”

“Talk away”, Peter said, forcefully- and maybe a little painfully- pushing some positivity into his voice. “I’m all ears.”

“Good”, Simon said. “Because I heard you’ve been perving on my girl.”

Hearing that, Peter made his sigh as quiet as he could, looking over at Carol and giving a hurt and embarrassed look. She tried to hide her guilty one, turning around and trying not to pay attention. “Come on...” Peter quietly sighed, before going louder and more firm. “First off, Simon: that’s untrue. I didn’t ogle enough to see anything... _inappropriate_.” Peter got a harsh squeeze on his arm for the small dig. “And second: Carol’s not _yours_ , so fuck you!”

A look of rage spread across Simon’s face at those words, and Peter definitely sensed a bunched up fist. “The _hell_ did you just say to me?”

“I said”, Peter restated. “Fuck. _You_.”

“ _Peter_ ”, he heard Carol quietly plead, suddenly paying attention now, to his annoyance. He just shot a look at her, causing the girl to look away. Just then, he realised the fist that was raising, and just as Peter realised he was about to be screwed, there was one final saving grace.

“Hey”, a roaming teacher called out. “Go get to class you lot.”

Peter let out a sigh of relief as Simon slightly loosened his hold on his arm. Before the older boy left though, he leaned over to Peter. “We’re not done here”, he warned. He then turned to his ‘gang’, as Peter called them. “Let’s go.”

As they walked off, Peter rubbed his arm, just catching a look from Carol. It was an apologetic one. Peter didn’t feel like accepting it right now. 

**...**

Now in the last period- art- Peter looked out the window, waiting for the day to end. The next few lessons hadn’t been too entertaining, even with the subtle encouragements of Ned, and quite surprisingly Michelle.

She nudged his shoulder, drawing his attention away from the window. “Hey, what’s up with you, loser?”

Peter sighed hard, looking down at his empty page. “Eh, stuff. Just thinking.”

“What about?”

A shrug. “Stuff.”

Michelle sighed. Why was being someone’s friend so annoying? “Is something up with you and Ned?” Peter shook his head. “Someone from your... family? Thing? I don’t know what to call your situation.”

Peter finally faced Michelle, giving her a mixed look. “Me neither.”

That drew a surprised look from Michelle. “Okay. So it was someone from there though, right?”

Peter groaned, finally putting his pencil to paper, drawing the outline for something. “Yes, but mostly no. It was more that fuc... more _Simon_ than anything though.”

“Ah yes, Simon Williams”, Michelle mused. “Antagonist to one, bully to all...”

“That actually sounds pretty cool”, Peter admitted, chuckling a little. “Did you come up with that on the spot?”

“Yes I did, Peter Parker... wimp to few, friend to others.” Michelle got another mixed look for that, and has to hide a grin. It was way too easy to rile Peter up.

After a stretch of no response he finally spoke though. “I’ll take that.”

Michelle, scoffed, more in humour than anything. “Good to know. Now do some work, loser. Stop distracting me.”

Peter raised up in his chair a little at that. If he was correct- which he _was_ \- Michelle has been the one to start that talk. He just ended up keeping that to himself though, trying to at least do something for the class. They were already getting through the second half of the term, and he’d barely done anything for the assessment as it is. So by the end of the class, the bell actually startling him, Peter had created an initial design for his artwork, happy with what he had so far. Once that was all packed up he made his way out of the class, ready to do his after school stuff. Not that it was a big list.

On the way out though, he said a brief farewell to Michelle. “See you tomorrow Michelle.”

“See ya, loser”, she responded, even if there was a half-hidden smile on her face. Michelle was out of class and heading home herself not long after.

Back with Peter, he took a deviant path to the school’s exit, even if it was almost right next to his class. Because firstly, as it had been since the start of the school year, he had to go get Kitty from her class first. And unfortunately, that class was almost always on the other side of the school. Even so, only a few minutes later he’d made the walk, easily locating the waiting girl.

She saw him almost immediately after, calling out as she bundled over. “Peter! There you are! Took you long enough.”

Peter laughed, giving a hug as the girl stuck herself to his side. “You know time is relative right? Maybe I’m actually early.”

“Then that makes me _super_ early”, Kitty stated in an excited and victorious tone. Peter huffed an agreement.

“Guess so, Kitty. Anyways, ready to blow this joint? Tony’s waiting. He’s gonna need his apprentice, isn’t he?”

Kitty laughed at that, keeping up in pace with Peter. “That’s true. I’m a _super important_ apprentice.” She poked Peter in the side. “Way more than _you_!”

Peter laughed in surprise at the sudden fact, putting his hands up, mocking mercy. “Oh but of course. I wouldn’t think of being best apprentice. That’s all you.”

Kitty beamed at the half-compliment, and the two walked the rest of the way in mostly quiet. Only once they reached the front of the school- the main exit- did large conversation start again. Tony was parked not far away from them, crazily honking the car horn when he saw them. It easily drew their attention.

“ _Cahm_ _ooonnn_ ”, Tony called out on a really weird accent. “Been waiting _forever_. Look at Scott, look at his face, kiddies.” Scott tried to sink lower in his seat next to Tony, easily noticing the few people from his grade catching on and throwing laughing glances his way. Tony surveyed the damage he caused, then jokingly pointed at Peter and Kitty. “Aw, look what you did. Scott’s embarrassed.”

“ _Shut up_ Tony”, Scott hissed at the adult. Tony laughed a bit before giving the oldest boy a light slap on the back.

“Sorry bud. You know I gotta take moments to embarrass you kids.” He turned around, looking in the back seat. “You’re next Carol. Prepare for when I embarrass you.”

Carol gave a hard look as Kitty jumped in the back with her. “Don’t even think about it, Tony.”

He just smiled, shrugging innocently. After a moment though, he raised an eyebrow, looking through Scott’s window again. “What’s up Pete? You getting in or what?”

Peter muttered incoherently to himself for a second before looking up again. He threw a quick glance at Carol, then remembered the earlier incident during the day. “Actually Tony, I think I might just walk home today.”

Tony let out a small sigh. “Seriously? It’ll take like, five minutes for me to drive us back. Walking will take longer, kid.”

Peter shrugged. “I know, I just... wanna do it today.”

Tony looked at Peter for a few moments, trying to follow the boy’s eyes that kept flicking at all their surroundings. Eventually Tony sagged a little, sighing. “Well alright then. Just be home soon Pete. Oh- and is your phone charged? Don’t want you wandering with a dead phone in your pocket. Won’t help if you get kidnapped or something.”

The boy just gave the adult a look. “It’s charged. Don’t worry Tony. I’ll be home soon. Just want to try and calm my head a little. I got a little messed with today. Wanna clear that out.”

Tony seemed like he was about to speak again, but stopped himself, going with a sudden cough instead. “Alright. Be quick. Love you kid.”

“As do I for you”, Peter said as he started walking away again. Now he was alone, he could reflect on the day a little. He enjoyed reflection... mostly. It helped him refocus and get a better grip on things. Peter was pretty sure he might be a little loopy at moments. Maybe he should talk about that? The boy realised he was getting off topic as he walked, sighing as he finished the distance, the school now fully behind him. 

As he walked, Peter decided to take the long- or slightly longer than usual- way home. On the walk he realised he didn’t really know what the meaning of clearing his head was for. Was it because of the substitute’s lopsided handwriting? His general boredom in a few classes? The bullying from Simon or his own sometimes dumb behaviour? No. Peter realised he was stewing his emotions because of one single factor of this day: Carol had just stood by while he was antagonised.

Peter groaned. It was annoying and that feeling only grew. Carol was someone Peter was certain he could count on ninety percent of the time, that last ten percent ruined because of one Simon Williams. Everyone _knew_ he was a bully and a general nuisance, and Peter wasn’t one to keep his opinion of this person quiet. But what bewildered him most about Williams is that Carol wilfully _went out_ with him.

Somehow, despite everything, Carol did that. Peter was honestly baffled as to what she saw in him. For one thing, everyone in their household knew how Simon had bullied Peter quite harshly for the last few years, and Peter himself knew the older boy didn’t treat Carol- his apparent girlfriend- any better. This annoyed Peter to no end because he _knew_ Carol could do much better than Simon. Yet it didn’t seem to want to change.

So with a final, heavy sigh, Peter concluded his problem with the day. His problem was that one of his closest friends dated a personified shit and left him to the hands of that affectionately-described shit. Peter added a second conclusion to his head: maybe he should be more selfish and care less about what his friends do. 

It was about halfway home, and these thoughts about his own potential ideals and problems with Simon Peter should have noticed something was about to happen. The strangely quiet street, or the rushed and angry footsteps behind him clear giveaways. It took a yell for him to realise what was about to happen.

“You!” An angry and instantly recognisable voice called out to him. Peter jumped a little, mostly from the unexpected nature of this. He turned, keeping his expression neutral.

“Simon? What a surprise”, he called back. “Have you and your gang been following me or something? Because I gotta say dude, I definitely wouldn’t follow you to the ends of the Earth as you do for me.” 

Simon groaned at the joke, bunching his fists. He _really_ didn’t like Peter and it was obvious. “I told you earlier, we aren’t done.”

Peter just sighed. “Let me guess, you’re gonna beat me up now? And is it still in Carol’s honour by any chance?”

The older boy just scowled. “This is for me, you prick. I’m gonna enjoy beating the shit out of you.”

While Simon closed the distance, Peter pulled a face. The moment the older boy was in range he kicked out, nailing him right between the legs. The reaction was most satisfying, Simon doubling over after a moment, a large exhale coming out as he protectively hovered his hands over his crotch.

“What’s wrong”, Peter sneered. “I thought _I_ was supposed to get beat up. Isn’t that the cliché?”

“ _Fuck_ you, dibshit”, Simon wheezed, waving a hand out to his gathered friends. “ _Do_ something, you idiots!”

With that order the other boys moved forward, jumping Peter. He was able to land a few hits, definitely nailing someone in the nose before he was pushed to the floor. Then he was getting kicked around. _A lot_. Pain spread across his body, and he instinctively protected his privates and face; an arm protecting each part. That didn’t hold up forever though, as someone kicked one of his arms, the force making Peter smash his arm into his own face. That hurt a fair bit.

After another minute or two of that someone was picking him up, leaving Peter to stare face to face with Simon. “Think you’re tough, huh”, he spat before punching Peter in the face. He was pretty sure his nose started bleeding. 

When Simon pulled back, Peter just flashed him a grin. “You know, I _do_ think I’m pretty tough every once in a while, Simon. But you? You're an absolute c***.”

The older boy’s eyes widened in response. That definitely wasn’t a curse he heard often. And most definitely not the one starting with ‘c’ he was used to. It didn’t throw him off for long though, as the next moment he was punching Peter’s face again, before dropping him to the ground.

Simon gave one last kick before leaving. “See you _tomorrow_ , _Pete_. More ‘fun’ will be in store for you then.”

Peter just groaned on the floor, holding his nose, trying to stop the blood flow. After a few minutes of lying on the ground and catching his breath, waiting for the pain to mostly subside, he finally got up, pulling his phone out once he’d done that. He called the most obvious number then waited for it to be picked up.

“Pete? Is something wrong”, came the worried voice of Tony. “You’re taking longer than usual and I’m about two seconds from calling the cops here.”

“I’m fine, Tony” Peter said, then after a thoughtful pause picked up. “Or relatively so. Turns out walking wasn’t the greatest idea. Do you think you can pick me up please?”

There was no reply for a few moments, but Peter heard the obvious sounds of an opening door and a car starting up. “Hell yes, Peter. Where are you? I’m coming for you now.”

Peter gave the street name before hanging up. He took a moment to sigh. This accident was going to be _really_ hard to explain. He couldn’t wait...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's the end of chapter 5.  
> Thoughts? Suggestions? I'd love to hear them- even if it is just you banishing me to Hell ;)  
> I don't think the next chapter will be as long as this one, but I guess it's just a matter of waiting to see what happens.  
> Until next time :)


	6. Peter's Aftermath & A Small Fight

If there was anything the kids would’ve expected to see coming through the door at five in the afternoon on a Thursday, it definitely wasn’t a hobbling and busted up Peter. The moment he came through the door with Tony, everyone was crowding around him. 

“Shit Pete, what the hell happened?” Scott asked, a very concerned frown on his face. Peter looked up at the older boy after what that was said, and it suddenly became very clear he had a black eye.

“What does it look like happened?” Peter snapped, rubbing his arm in a mix of awkwardness and irritation. “I got slapped around.”

Kitty latched herself to Peter’s side, letting a barely hidden sob. “This isn’t fair, Petey! You don’t deserve this!”

Peter sighed, soothingly patting the girl’s back. “Maybe, maybe not. But it happened.” As Peter comforted Kitty, it seemed his earlier irritation had gone away. Meanwhile Tony paced around, completely worried about the whole thing.

It was a bit later that Carol moved up, looking at Peter worriedly. “Do you know who did this?”

She got a glare for that, Peter starting to move for the stairs. “You know _exactly_ who did this, Carol. It’s not hard to figure out.”

Carol sadly sighed. _Simon_. Scott and Kitty didn’t share the sentiment, saying that thought out loud almost in sync. “It was Simon.”

At the name drop Tony stop pacing around, coming to an abrupt stop. “Simon- Simon Williams? That kid did it? The- the bully? Ugh, I’m calling the school then.”

“Don’t bother”, Peter called out from the top of the stairs. “It wasn’t anywhere near school, so they won’t do anything.” When it was obvious Tony was about to argue that point Peter spoke again. “Seriously Tony, don’t bother. I’m fine anyways.”

Tony groaned to himself before calling back up to Peter. “You’re staying home tomorrow!”

“Wait- _what_?! Why?!” Peter cried out. Tony just crossed his arms.

“Because I don’t feel comfortable letting you out the way you are. _And_ it means we can figure something out to do about this kid and his behaviour.”

There was a very loud and obnoxious sigh heard, and then Peter trudged back down the stairs. “That’s just _dumb_ , Tony, but _fine_. Now I just want to be alone for a while.” He quickly went into the kitchen before popping out again. “And I’m taking these tissues!”

There was a small instant of silence before Tony was running over and yelling out while Peter moved up the stairs. “If it’s for a bloody nose I’m taking you to the hospital!”

“That’s over compensating, Tony! And really unnecessary!”

With that, Peter had disappeared upstairs, leaving everyone downstairs in a relative quiet. There was a bit of tension, but none that was too serious. After a long while of doing their regular activities, a conversation was finally picked up.

“So”, Tony started up when everyone- excluding Peter of course- was mostly in the same area. “Who’s gonna grab Pete?”

“My presence is required elsewhere”, Scott sarcastically said, walking away. He got a glare from the adult for that.

“Not it”, Kitty announced almost immediately after. With only two left, Matthew and Carol shared a look- relatively in the boy’s case. After a moment, their mute conversation seemed to be done. 

“I can do it”, Matthew said, shrugging his shoulders. Carol just made a noise.

“No Matt, I’ll go get him.” As she started walking up the stairs she quietly spoke to herself. “I have a feeling he and I need to talk anyways.”

Clearing the distance, Carol walked along the second floor until she reached Peter’s room. She knocked. “Peter, it’s me. I’m coming in.” 

When she saw opened the door, Carol was quick to see Peter sitting on the end of his bed, a bunch of tissues stuck up his nostrils. “So my nose started bleeding again”, he quipped with no humour. Carol realised there was a silent instruction to not sit down, so she continued her awkward standing. Peter looked up at her briefly before averting his gaze elsewhere. “I’m guessing something’s going on downstairs?”

“Dinner”, Carol informed. Peter just got up, pulling the tissues out and throwing them in the trash can he had. He walked back down without even acknowledging Carol. She didn’t realise how much that would hurt. The girl followed not long after, ending up being the last one at the table.

Dinner was mostly eaten in silence, until it became too unbearable for the adult. “Ugh, I’m done with this quiet kids. Who’s got something interesting to say about today? Learn anything new at school? Was it awkward trying to get your kids to talk at the dinner table?” Everyone threw an odd look for that last question before Tony continued. “The answer must be yes! God, I hate tension. Why don’t we talk about that?”

Peter was first to respond, lining his face with an innocent smile. “Why Tony, whatever do you mean by ‘ _tension_ ’?”

Tony pulled a face. “Well if it’s not tension, it’s _something_!”

“Hey, I’ll talk about my day”, Scott suddenly stuck in, trying to stop a potential argument. With all eyes on him he went along with his announcement. “The team won our football game today. Landslide victory. And from what I’m gathering from my teacher, I think I’m going to ace my Literature class.”

Tony seemed to slump a little at that, more relaxed. “Ah, that’s nice. A nice look into the day of Scott. Awesome. Anyone else?”

“I’m just tryna eat here”, Carol said, picking at her food- the exact opposite of what she’d just said. The was the sound of a throat clearing in Matthew’s direction.

“I discovered that this table was around a metre and a half in length.”

Kitty suddenly seemed interested in the conversation, leaning forward on the mentioned table. “Really? How’d you do _that_?”

Matthew grinned. “I’m just _really_ good with numbers and distance. Always have for some reason”, he mused. The girl hummed, seemingly satisfied with the answer. But suddenly, a shocked look crossed her face.

“Wait- I remembered something”, she exclaimed. “Tony, how was your day?”

There was an amused huff from the adult. “Well thanks for asking, Kitty. I had a pretty decent day actually. Got you all off on a good time, and work was alright. Only negative was letting _this_ happen to Peter. Sorry bud.”

Peter sighed. “It definitely wasn’t your fault Tony. No, I blame others for that.” There was no elaboration, and he just put his plate away before heading up again. “I’m done with today. I’m going to bed early.”

Tony sighed at the behaviour. It sounded tired, and maybe defeated. “Night Pete.” Peter didn’t respond. 

After that moment, and also after everyone else had finished off, most people were turning in for the night. Tony seemed to have an extra trudge to his step, which wasn’t so surprising given his mindset. The younger residents of the house easily saw that the adult blames himself for Peter’s injuries, even if he had nothing to do with it. Kitty also seemed to move slightly sadder than usual, but was doing a better job of concealing.

With Carol being the only one left who hadn’t gone to her room yet, she decided to make one last stop. Instead of going spread to the end of the hall as usual, the girl turned at the first door, knocking before going in.

Inside the room, Peter sighed at seeing his new guest. “Again, Carol?”

“Well, obviously we need to discuss something”, she said.

“And what’s that?” Peter asked blankly. Carol wore an annoyed expression at that.

“You tell me! You’re the one who’s acting so pissed of with me! It’s because of Simon, isn’t it?”

Peter groaned loudly, flopping back on his head. “What a _wild_ guess. What made you think that?”

Carol scowled. “Don’t be a smart-ass.”

Peter stood back up at that. “Don’t tell me what to do.”

“Then answer.”

“You know what, Carol? My problem with you _and_ Simon right now is that you two even associate.”

Carol crossed her arms. “And why’s that?”

A bewildered look was thrown her way. “ _Seriously_?! After everything that guy does and you don’t even- ugh! Do you even care? Look at me! That bullying _asshole_ did this to me and messes with a whole bunch of people and you’re the one that actually goes out with him. Why? At least answer that.”

There was a silent patch, but eventually it was stopped, Carol sighing. “It’s none of your business, but I go out with Simon because he’s nice to me.”

“When?” Peter shot. Carol gave him an angry look.

“Many more times than you think obviously. And for your information, I _do_ care about what he does.”

“Then you sure do have a funny way of showing it.”

Carol scoffed, slowly moving towards the door. “I’m done with this, Peter. And by the way, I do plan on talking to Simon about this. You don’t deserve this.”

“And neither does anyone else he does this to”, Peter pointed out. Carol just gave one last look to Peter before leaving. When it was obvious she wasn’t coming back, Peter finally found a small amount of relaxation, scooching up and laying down on his bed. He groaned when he noticed blood, sticking some tissues up his nose again. He close his eyes, finally realising how drained he felt. After a few minutes like that Peter tried to let himself truly sleep.

“Maybe sleep will help me for once”, he thought. “Or maybe it’ll just make my train wreck worse.”

Peter decided there was only one way to find out. Because as some would say: tomorrow is another day, and that’s all he could really hope for...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that concludes chapter 6.  
> Now I realised I've sort of been focusing on Peter, Carol and Matthew the most these last few chapters, so the next one I plan on hopefully having at least Scott and maybe Kitty in the spotlight.  
> But until then, hope you enjoyed. You'll hear from me next chapter :)


End file.
